Facts About High Fructose Corn Syrup

High fructose corn syrup. It seems to be in everything. There even seems to be comercials that tought it as being good for you. It's in just about every processed pastry, juice, and other foods. What exactly is high fructose corn syrup? What does it do to your body? These and other questions will be answered in this article.

What is High Fructose Corn Syrup?

Regular table sugar is a combination of both fructose and glucose, which are both simple sugars naturally produced by plants. Sucrose is the combination of these two sugars. Corn syrup, on the other hand, is mostly glucose produced from corn starch. This is because corn has no naturally occuring fructose. However, scientists found a way to convert the glucose found in corn into fructose, resulting in a very sweet 90% fructose concoction. The fructose is then mixed with the unsweetened corn syrup (glucose), until a ratio of 45/55 is reached. Fructose having the higher ratio (55). Thus we were introduced to HFCS (High Fructose Corn Syrup).

Whay is HFCS So Widely Used?

1. It is cheaper than refined sugar. The food industry is all about cutting cost and raising profits. HFCS allows them to do this
2. It is more easily dissolved in water than refined sugar. This is why almost every drink you see on the market today has HFCS as one of its top ingredients.
3. It acts as a preservative, extending the shelf life of the product that contains it.

Why Should You Be Concerned?

According to a study done by the Washington Post, high fructose corn syrup contains mercury. Yes, you read that right. Mercury. Here is an excerpt from that article:

"Mercury is toxic in all its forms. Given how much high-fructose corn syrup is consumed by children, it could be a significant additional source of mercury never before considered. We are calling for immediate changes by industry and the [U.S. Food and Drug Administration] to help stop this avoidable mercury contamination of the food supply," the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy's Dr. David Wallinga, a co-author of both studies, said in a prepared statement." -Washington Post Article on  Wednesday, January 28, 2009; 12:00 AM



HFCS does funny things to your body, too. For instance, it interferes with the body's metabolism, making it difficult for the person to not eat it. Also, it slows down the secretion of leptin in the body, making it hard to control cravings. This is why you always want more. Think that the food industry doesn't know this? By interfering with the hormone liptin, your body has trouble determining when it's full. This is why obesity is so closley related to the consumption of HFCS.

Here are more links to find out how high fructose corn syrup effects your body:


 How High Fructose Corn Syrup Damages Your Body

Princeton University - A sweet problem: Princeton researchers find ...

 

10 Side Effects of High-Fructose Corn Syrup | 3FC

 

Consensus? Eliminate high fructose corn syrup from your diet.

 

 

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